Recent studies have shown that the Omicron variant may have reached Beijing, China, via an infected letter. However, experts cautioned that airborne transmission is still a major route of transmission of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study in Beijing said the Omicron found in the package this January was genetically distinct from other cases in China, but linked to those in Southeast Asia and North America. However, this is yet to be reviewed.
What do experts say?
Experts say that although this is interesting to hear, it does not make a convincing case. Satyajit Rath, immunologist at Delhi’s National Institute of Immunology, told PTI, “In evidence, the gaps in tracking and in the time period involved are substantial. Therefore, I am cautious about considering this preprint as a basis for making public health policies.” I will be.”
Other experts agreed, saying that surface transmission cannot be ruled out, but airborne transmission is the initial source.
‘It is important to pay attention to airborne transmission’
According to virologist and genome sequencing expert Anurag Agarwal, “rare things” can always happen. “However, the SOP should continue to focus on airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” said Agarwal, director of the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in Delhi.
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Rajneesh Bhardwaj, who has been studying Covid transmission with his colleague Amit Agarwal at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) since the start of the pandemic, said airborne transmission is still a form of Omicron infection in cases of community transmission. Main road. In countries like India and America.
How was the first case of Omicron found in China?
According to a CDC Beijing study, on January 15 this year, a 26-year-old woman (Case A) in Beijing’s Haidian district tested positive for COVID-19 after complaining of extreme fatigue and fever for two days. The CDC later confirmed the result. A rapid site mutation test based on RT-PCR test revealed that the case was infected with the Omicron variant.
The study said, over the next seven days, five close contacts tested positive during screening, including her mother (case B), a colleague of the index case (case C), and case C (cases D, E, and F). ) includes three family members. According to the authors of the study from China, this is the first local cluster caused by Omicron variants in Beijing.
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